Until recently, Stewart Lee was still flogging his own DVDs in the foyer after
his shows, but a couple of BBC2 series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle and a pair of 2011 British Comedy Awards have taken him on to the next level, a state of affairs that doesn’t sit entirely comfortably with this most contrary of standups.
On Carpet Remnant World ★★★★★, Lee brilliantly plays off this awkward dichotomy, dividing his audience into those who ‘get’ his multi-layered deconstructionism and those who are only there because they’ve seen him on the telly, explaining to them: ‘I’m so good at stand-up, I make it look as if I can’t do it.’
The show’s thrust is that Lee is devoid of material, since he spends his days either driving up and down motorways to gigs or watching Scooby Doo with his young son. So he’s taken to cruising London’s North Circular in the vain hope that something funny will happen, thereby neatly mocking the observational style of comedy favoured by so many successful stand-ups.
Only Lee could get away with writing a show about not having a show, but he pulls all the threads together with such understated aplomb that you can’t help but marvel at his utterly distinct approach. Really, it’s ridiculously good.
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Brighton Argus
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John Robins, Comedian
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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World Without End, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Stuart, Chortle
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube